Router Plane - No money for Veritas/LN!

I’ve been really tempted to purchase a Veritas Router Plane. LN makes a couple nice ones as well. They are simple in function, so I gave it a shot before shelling out gas money (grrrrrrr) on tools. The assembly is two pieces.

The walnut top was shaped to fit the index finger and thumb of each hand. It is about 4” wide. I cut it on the bandsaw and shaped it with sanding drums and files. There is a 1/4” – 20 threaded insert in the rear with thumb screw to match.

The walnut base is rectangular, in the neighborhood of 4” x 3”. It is attached to the top by screws (pic 3). I chose screws versus glue so that I can attach it to a different base if desired in the future. I might make a larger handled base that are sold commercially. I also will use it without a base for shallow hinge mortising. I angled the top slightly after using a pine prototype. I found that being a lefty, I favored my left hand a bit and the angled top worked better for me. I drilled a hole through both for the iron.

The iron is actually an allen wrench that I tweaked on the grinder and sandpaper. It gets pretty sharp. It dulled after about 7-8’ of dadoes, but honed back sharp quickly. I chose one the approximate size of the Veritas Iron in case I decide to upgrade in the future. Given it’s limited function in my shop, I think this set up will work, however. The thumb screw keeps things square and in place.

The biggest challenge, was ensuring that the iron was sharpened parallel to the base. This took a little guess and check, but was simple enough.

It is also a very good use for scrap wood. I have some walnut and hard maple scraps too small for a regular project that are just looking to be used. I also have an old 7/16” and 1/2” allen wrenches that would make good “blades” so I can use them on larger dadoes I usually cut.

Gary: I can’t really give a comparison of function compared to the commercial planes as I haven’t used one. It does what I needed it for in that it cleaned up grooves and such smoothly. I’d be amazed if a commercial iron didn’t hold it’s edge much longer, but I’m satisfied with this set up. I cleaned up three shelves worth of dadoes (7’ to 8’) before I felt it needed sharpening. That length will get me through most projects without having to stop to hone.